Lifeline Low-Income Assistance

Low-Income Telephone or Broadband Internet Access Service Assistance Program

Lifeline is a plan that assists qualified low-income Iowans by providing a monthly reduction of $7.25 on their local telephone bill or Broadband Internet Access Service (“BIAS”) bill.

You may only receive low-income assistance from one wireline or wireless telephone provider, or one BIAS provider per household. A “Household” is defined as any individual or group of individuals who are living together at the same address as one economic unit. An “economic unit” consists of all adult individuals contributing to and sharing in the income and expenses of a household.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for Lifeline assistance, you must meet income-based criteria, currently defined as at or below 135% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, OR participate in at least one of the following programs:

• Medicaid
• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
• Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
• Federal Public Housing Assistance
• Veterans and Survivors Pension Benefit

In addition, you must not currently be receiving Lifeline assistance and no other person in your *household can be subscribed to the Lifeline program.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) releases adjusted Federal Poverty Guidelines (FPG) each January. These guidelines determine if a consumer can qualify for Lifeline through income.

To review the current income eligibility guidelines, click here.

To Apply for Lifeline:

1. To qualify and apply online, visit the Lifeline National Verifier website.
2. If you need to complete a paper form instead, find your form here. Please include any required supporting documents and submit it to your local telecommunications or BIAS provider’s business office. Contact information can be found on your bill or in your local telephone.
3. Re-certification forms are mailed to all subscribers every year. When you receive a re-certification form, complete and return it by following the instructions provided with the form by the Universal Service Administration Company (USAC). Re-certification is mandatory and your telecommunications or BIAS provider will suspend your eligibility for low-income assistance if you do not return the re-certification form.

Application Checklist

Please provide the following information:

3. A signed and completed Lifeline assistance certification
4. A copy of one of the following, if applying based on the size and income level of a customer’s household:
   • Last year’s federal or state income tax return
   • Current annual income statement from employer
   • Paycheck stubs for most recent three consecutive months
   • Social Security statement of benefits
   • Veteran’s Administration statement of benefits
   • Retirement or pension statement of benefits
   • Unemployment or worker’s compensation statement of benefits
   • Letter of participation in general assistance
   • Divorce decree or child support documentation
5. Supporting documentation of program-based eligibility if applying based on participation in any programs listed on the back of this

Acceptable documentation of program eligibility includes the current or prior year’s statement of benefits from a qualifying assistance program, a notice, letter or documents of participation in a qualifying assistance program, or another official document demonstrating that you, or one or more of your dependents, or your household receives benefits from a qualifying assistance program. Federal law requires your provider to review and securely retain this documentation.

Federal law also prevents your provider from sharing these documents with unauthorized persons.

For questions, please call your local telecommunications or BIAS provider.